Laptop computing programs have been in K-12 schools since
the 1990s, but in recent months one-to-one learning seems to
have re-emerged as a top topic in education technology
circles. According to Tim Wiley, senior analyst at research
firm Eduventures, about 1,000 of the 15,000 school districts
in the United States currently have one-to-one computing
programs in one or more of their schools. Though he says
these represent only "pockets" of progress, it is
nevertheless a promising trend.

At the same
time, "Administrators are starting to realize that things
like technical support and professional development are
grossly undervalued," says Wiley. "The one-to-one programs
that have been successful have made sure that quality
control, data conversion, and professional development were
taken slowly and done properly."

Why the need
for comprehensive staff development? In addition to
adjusting to new technologies, one-to-one educators must
learn to reorganize themselves and how they manage the
classroom, as well as transform their traditional
instructional methods to fit a new environment-one that is
more self-directed, project-driven, and collaborative.

With this in mind, following are some tenets K-12
technology leaders employ when prepping teachers for the
challenges and possibilities of one-to-one.

Recruit

Before you even begin
to train teachers for one-to-one, you have to choose them.
According to Rae Niles, director of curriculum and
technology for Sedgwick Public Schools in Sedgwick,
Kansas-where all sophomores, juniors, and seniors tote
laptops-technology expertise shouldnot be an issue when it
comes to enlisting teachers. In fact, she says one-to-one
teachers arenot necessarily technologically savvy. "We donot
ask teachers about technology," said Niles. "We ask things
like: Do you like kids? Are you strong in your content area?
Do you fit in our school? Are you flexible and open to new
ideas? If the answers to those questions are yes, we think
they can learn the technology."

Illinois
Virtual High School (IVHS) is an online supplement to
bricks-and mortar classes used by students from 350 schools;
many of those students work on laptops. At IVHS, teacher
tech skills are a prerequisite. Superintendent Mike Wicks
employs a two-step screening process for prospective
candidates. First, he requires applicants to submit their
materials electronically as an initial gauge of
technological acumen. Next, applicants take ISTE is
technology assessment test. If accepted into the program,
they then take a six-week course on pedagogy and online
learning techniques.

Practice

Allowing teachers to
first use the technology in their personal lives is key,
says Wiley. "If a teacher is going to move into a one-to-one
classroom, give that teacher a laptop for the summer and
instruct them on how to do something that is applicable to
their own lives-like looking for the best travel deal on the
Web," he says. "It gives the teacher personal motivation to
learn...once you know how to research the best travel deals,
it is only a short jump to science research." To wit:
Successful professional development should focus on
practical skill sets, not just theory, or bodies of
knowledge.

Technology in Education

Posted by :Chris Cutter

Laptop computing programs have been in K-12 schools since the 1990s, but in recent months
one-to-one learning seems to have re-emerged as a top topic in education technology circles.
According to Tim Wiley, senior analyst at research firm Eduventures, about 1,000 of the 15,000
school districts in the United States currently have one-to-one computing programs in one or more of
their schools. Though he says these represent only "pockets" of progress, it is nevertheless a
promising trend.

At the same time, "Administrators are starting to realize that things
like technical support and professional development are grossly undervalued," says Wiley. "The
one-to-one programs that have been successful have made sure that quality control, data conversion,
and professional development were taken slowly and done properly."

Why the need for
comprehensive staff development? In addition to adjusting to new technologies, one-to-one educators
must learn to reorganize themselves and how they manage the classroom, as well as transform their
traditional instructional methods to fit a new environment-one that is more self-directed,
project-driven, and collaborative.

With this in mind, following are some tenets K-12
technology leaders employ when prepping teachers for the challenges and possibilities of
one-to-one.

Recruit

Before you even begin to train
teachers for one-to-one, you have to choose them. According to Rae Niles, director of curriculum and
technology for Sedgwick Public Schools in Sedgwick, Kansas-where all sophomores, juniors, and
seniors tote laptops-technology expertise shouldnot be an issue when it comes to enlisting teachers.
In fact, she says one-to-one teachers arenot necessarily technologically savvy. "We donot ask
teachers about technology," said Niles. "We ask things like: Do you like kids? Are you strong in
your content area? Do you fit in our school? Are you flexible and open to new ideas? If the answers
to those questions are yes, we think they can learn the technology."

Illinois Virtual
High School (IVHS) is an online supplement to bricks-and mortar classes used by students from 350
schools; many of those students work on laptops. At IVHS, teacher tech skills are a prerequisite.
Superintendent Mike Wicks employs a two-step screening process for prospective candidates. First, he
requires applicants to submit their materials electronically as an initial gauge of technological
acumen. Next, applicants take ISTE is technology assessment test. If accepted into the program, they
then take a six-week course on pedagogy and online learning techniques.

Practice

Allowing teachers to first use the technology in their
personal lives is key, says Wiley. "If a teacher is going to move into a one-to-one classroom, give
that teacher a laptop for the summer and instruct them on how to do something that is applicable to
their own lives-like looking for the best travel deal on the Web," he says. "It gives the teacher
personal motivation to learn...once you know how to research the best travel deals, it is only a
short jump to science research." To wit: Successful professional development should focus on
practical skill sets, not just theory, or bodies of knowledge.

Plan

"I cannot say enough about planning-planning is crucial," says Calvin Baker, superintendent
of the Vail School District (VSD) in Tucson, Arizona, about professional development for laptop
programs. VSD is home to Empire High School, a new school where each student has a laptop and access
to digitized textbooks. Baker began professional development a year before the school opened,
focusing on a train-the-trainer model starting with staff he identified as "bright, aggressive, and
solution oriented."

Tina Barrios, supervisor of instructional technology for the School
District of Manatee County in Bradenton, Florida, where 16 of the countrys schools have one-to-one
classrooms, agrees with Baker that districts should start early. "When you are moving to a
one-to-one environment, you cannot collapse planning time just to meet deadlines," says Barrios. "It
is better to have one or two years to plan the implementation and to get teachers comfortable in
this kind of environment."

Immerse

Create a culture of
heavy professional development, says Niles. At Sedgwick, the bulk of training is done in the summer,
when new software applications and other tools are introduced and technology skills are updated.
Throughout the year, a regional service centre offers training and teachers can access quick
tutorials from Atomic Learning, too. "You can never get enough professional development," says
Niles. "We try to integrate the technology into the lives of the teachers."

Involve

Successful one-to-one schools engage teachers in designing the
professional development curriculum. "Teachers need to be part of the decisions and not have that
solution dumped on them," says Baker, who notes that vendors often rely on off-the-shelf training
that doesnot always address teachers specific concerns.

Make students an integral part
of training as well, through more formal programs such as Generation Yes or simply on an ad hoc
basis.

"We no longer have
students and teachers, we have a community of learners," says Niles. "In many cases students know
more about a certain technology than the teacher, and that is okay. It allows the teacher to become
the student and the student to become the teacher."

Acknowledge

One-to-one initiatives can boost teacher enthusiasm, but they also demand that teachers
work longer and harder. "Marching a class through a textbook, once you know how to do it, is
comfortable and easy," says Baker. "Looking for digital material, images, Web sites, and creative
ways to present lessons is a lot more challenging...and that needs to be acknowledged and
supported."

Jim Lehmann, faculty member at Walden University, tells teachers to take it
slow and realize one-to-one is an iterative process. "Add to it, keep at it," he says. "Just learn
something new two to three times per year. Eventually, you will see how it compounds and pays off."
For example, take a course on online video players and formats, then add a class about movie-making
software, and later learn an image editing program like Photoshop. Teachers who learn at a
reasonable but dedicated pace end up accumulating practical skills.